Flames of the Fox
by ZoharSkarth
Summary: Naruto finds that in saving Sasuke, Kyuubi's seal is damaged. Naruto in trying to contain the fox, goes into a coma. Sasuke has to delve into the blonde's mind to pull him out, uncovering the painful past. What does the future yeild? NaruSasuNaru. R
1. Spark

Read and Review please! First fanfic…

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO, OR ANYTHING RELATED TO THE NARUTO MANGA.

THIS IS YAOI. With the pairing being NaruSasuNaru. DON'T LIKE IT? LEAVE.

STRONG CAUTION TO YOUNGER READERS, MATURE CONTEXT. VIOLENCE NOW, SEXUAL THEMES MAYBE IN LATER CHAPTERS, ECT. TO YOUNG? LEAVE.

ALL FLAMES WILL BE SCOFFED AT.

(begins scoffing)

This Story starts off from around chapter 395, SPOILER WARNING.

'_blah' _thoughts

"blah" speech

Enjoy.

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The fight was interrupted. Tobi, Naruto, Yamato, Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, Shino, Sakura, and Kakashi all listened to Zetsu.

"Uchiha Sasuke has killed Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto felt a pang of shock, news of his best friend, and apparently good news too.

Tobi's voice was muffled through the mask, " As expected."

The plant man spoke again, "But Sasuke passed out shortly after Itachi died. He'll follow after soon." His alter ego grinned at Tobi, "Can we eat him?"

An Earth shaking roar erupted from the ground below the Akatsuki. Furious blue eyes tore in to the slightly surprised ninja in the tree. Rage flowed through the voice of Naruto, causing shivers of unidentifiable fear in his teammates, "WHERE IS SASUKE?!" Anger seeped through his defenses, and the fox's powers were awakened. Sluggishly red chakra swirled around him, formed a dreaded fox.

"Don't loose control Naruto!" Yamato yelled, "You'll kill us all!"

Naruto stiffened. "I've got it under control!" he snarled. His teammates stepped back away from him, and his red slitted eyes glared up at the Akatsuki as his chakra tail lashed back and forth. "WHERE IS SASUKE?! I HAVE TO SAVE HIM!" came the deafening roar as Naruto stomped his foot and continued his death glare at the Akatsuki.

Tobi laughed, but an instant later sprang from the branch where he and Zetsu were. Just as a chakra hand grabbed the plant man. Wrenching him straight out of the tree.

The fiery hand squeezed as the man screamed and burned. The hand in a flash of movement too fast for the eye was in front of Naruto. The burning Zetsu and Naruto stood face to face, so close that Naruto's clothing was being singed by the intensity of the flames. Naruto watched calmly Zetsu writhein pain as his shrieks of agony split the air. His face split with a fanged smile.

The flames stopped and Zetsu slumped forward and continued to scream. "Where is he?" Naruto whispered chillingly even in the remains of the fiery heat. The manic smile creot further along his face distorting the normally friendly features.

The charred man shook his head, sending cinders falling, "I won't. I won't say…"

"Oh really now? You won't say will you? My my its gonna get toasty in here…" Naruto growled merrily, clicking his fangs together. The flames returned as Naruto cranked up the heat. His friends watched in silent horror to the man being burned and crushed alive as the smell of burning flesh perforated the air. No trace of the Naruto they knew was in the furious eyes.

The fire stopped. "Where?" asked Naruto.

Zetsu turned to Tobi pleading with his eyes. "Master, master!" Zetsu cried out in anguish, "make him stop!"

"Tell him, just him." Tobi said, his intentions hid behind the swirled mask.

Relief flashed on the plant man's face. The fanged grin on Naruto's face twisted into a gleeful feral smile, further contorting his image as the Akatsukiwhispered the directions to him. As soon as the man stopped talking though, the flames returned.

"Naruto!" screamed Sakura, _'I won't lose him to Kyuubi again. I've let this sick display continue for far too long.. But what can we possibly do?' _

The fiery hand quickly burned so brightly that the shin obi had ot look away, and with a nauseating crunch the hand clenched shut. A few moments later it opened to scatter the ashes of the dead Akatsuki onto the ground.

Naruto turned towards his teammates as the fiery chakra ebbed away. _'I know where Sasuke is! We have to save him. NOW! Wait… Why are they looking at me like that? No… oh Kami no. I'm not a monster… am I?' _His eyes flashed blue at the realization that he was the cause of their thick fear. Here before him were his friends, who had just witnessed his gruesome loss of humanity. He stepped toward them to show it was okay.

They leapot and darted back, skittering out of his reach. Fear and horror splayed out on their faces. Hinata screamed, tears ran down Sakura's face, Akamaru growled, and Shino's bugs buzzed defensively.

"No… no… no…" whispered Naruto, reaching out again to his friends.

"Don't move Naruto!" Yamato ordered.

"I'm not… really, I'm fine now… honest…" Naruto pleaded, "Please don't do this… please… don't be afraid…"

"Naruto." It was stern order laced into Kaakashi's only word for Narutio to obey Yamato's orders.

"Can't you truyst me?" Naruto cringed at their fear. He took a step forward. Yamato's hand movement was all the warning he needed, in a flash he took off.

"Where did he…?" Kiba questioned.

Shino sighed. Years of deciphering Shino-sighs answered Kiba's question.

"Oh, Sasuke," Kiba whispered.

Kakashi looked up. Tobi was gone. A new threat to Konoha had emerged. "Rescuing Sasuke must wait. Many more lives are at stake. We have to warn Tsunade-sama. The seal is indeed weakening. Its as we knew… and feared."

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"Sasuke!" Naruto screamed as he ran through the rubble of the Uchihas' fight. He reached the man and slumped to the ground beside him. Feeling for a pulse, his fears were met with a slow erratic beat. "Oh Kami oh Kami oh Kami oh Kami, Sasuke you can't do this. You can't do this to me. You Can't leave me here al alone… so alone…"

Sakura had given him basic medical nin training, but what he was best at was chakra transfusions. Because of his immense reserves of chakra, it was best suited to him. Even Sakura would sometimes ask him specifically to perform it instead of her for this very reason. He just had so much, His energy had to balance with the escaping chakra of the Nine Tailed Fox that got through the seal.

And a chakra transusion was exactly what the last Uchiha needed.

Naruto opened Sasuke's shirt. With th eappropriate hand seals, his hand started to glow blue with a thick amount of chakra. He continued to force his chakra into his hand until it was so energized it burned.

"One. Two. Three. Clear!" Naruto grunted slamming his hand onto Sasuke's chest. Thrusting the massive store of chakra into the unconscious man.

"Oh Kami. Oh Kami. Oh Kami. Sasuke, Sauke… please don't go.." Naruto whimpered and crouched closer to him. "Please… don't leave me here all alone…"

With a strangled gasp the raven haired man jerked into consciousness. _'It feels like a horse kicked me in the chest…wait make that ten Clydesdales kicked me there.'_ "Thank Kami." Sasuke heard a relieed voice say. He blinked and tried to sit up but a rough calloused hand pushed him back down. '_Damn, don't touch the horse injury…"_

His eyes followed the tan hand on his bare chest to a figure he never thought he'd see again. "Naruto?" he gasped. The crystal blue eyes shimmered, and a soft smile met his gaze.

"Yeah, Sasuke. It's me, Naruto." the blonde whispered.

"Why?" Sasuke asked, charcoal eyes full of confusion and pain.

The blue eyes warmed, "Because, teme, you're my best friend. My only friend." _'I've scared away and scarred the rest…'_

Sasuke tried to get up again and Naruto helped heft the man to his feet. Sasuke still didn't understand. _'Why Naruto? Why? For friendship? What kind of friend am I? How can you be so forgiving of my transgressions?'_

Naruto tried to explain Sasuke's current styate to him, "Sasuke, I gae you a chakra transfusion. So you can't fight or use your chakra for about three hours. Its only temporary until your chakra stores rebuild. I gave you most of mine so you'll be fine though. See?" Naruto pointed to a healed injury, "My chakra heals thanks to the damned fox's influence. So you're al set." A grin broke out on his face, "Sasuke let's head home to Konoha."

"But I betrayed Konoha. I'm a missing nin. Most importantly how can you act like this? I betrayed you. I tried to kill you. I abandoned team Seven in a lust for power. Why do you still care about me?"

Naruto paused, "I don't know. But I do care… Sasuke when… when I thought you were …" Naruto nearly choked, "when I thought I was too late to save you… I … I was so… anguished, alone. But Sasuke, about Konoha…" Naruto tried to explain about the fear on his friends' faces, "things have changed…"

Sasuke didn't understand the blonde's pained look. _'What happened? Where is the happy-boisterous-annoying-as-hell-idiot I left so many years ago?'_

It was silent as they began to walk back. Darkness began to fall. Naruto demanded to take first shift of watch after Sasuke promised not to run off.

"Hey Sasuke. You promise you won't try to run away anymore, right?"

"I just said yes usuratonkaichi. Anyways, why would I? Where do I have to run to? Or from? My life goal is accomplished. I have nothing better to do I suppose."

" Is that really the reason, Sasuke?"

"Supposing, maybe, that I'm tired of being alone. Being utterly alone, living off the pain and suffering of the past, and now with no future set before me… I'm just tired. Tired of all of it. Everything. You probably feel the same way, right?"

"Yeah, I know how you feel."


	2. The Fire that Burns

Read and Review please! First fanfic…

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO, OR ANYTHING RELATED TO THE NARUTO MANGA.

Thank you to all who reviewed. I always appreciate your encouragement and guidance!

We haven't yet scratched the plot's surface! so hand in there for a long haul!

Chapter 2: The Fire that Burns.

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Naruto watched the leaves rustling in the slight breeze as the moon hung overhead. He had decided to take Sasuke's shift of watch as well as his own. And he knew the Uchiha would be pissed in the morning, something along the lines of 'don't baby me usuratonkaichi, I'm the one who always saves your ass' was to be expected in the morning.

But he couldn't sleep, so why wake his slumbering friend?

'_Friends… I've frightened all of mine off. They probably think Kyuubi's loose tearing up the countryside on his way to Konoha right now…_' The whiskered shinobi sighed, _'I shouldn't have lost control like that. I scared them so much… But they were so untrusting, too. How can they not differentiate between me and the demon? We chare my body, and look the same… but… I'm not a monster. I refuse to be a monster. I will not be a monster. No. But it still hurts, the looks in their eyes. The fear…Will I even be allowed back in Konoha? Will I ever see their faces not contorted with fear again?'_

He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts, but as usual of late they wandered off to the same topic he had no answers for. The one that plagued on his mind, and the trust of his 'friends'.

The true reason he couldn't sleep was the state of Kyuubi's seal. It had been slowly losing power for some time, since he had first tapped into the Fox's chakra, but recently it had started to decline more rapidly. Ever since his training with Ero-senin was it known the full extent of the seal's crumbling. Control was harder and harder to fight for, and had become a constant struggle.

But the reason tonight that he couldn't sleep was the fact that when he began to doze, Kyuubi began to claw. The sharp talons would rake furrows through Naruto's mind, tearing at the demon's cage. Further eroding the shaky seal. Only while awake could Naruto remain in control, as questionable as his control was at the moment…

"Damn." Naruto whispered to the cold moon that always lent an ear to his troubles, "Damn it all…"

His blue eyes wandered until they caught sight of the ruffled black hair of the sleeping Sasuke. '_How odd it is to see him. It's weirder now that he comes willingly. Without argument or struggle. He just gave in. Did he think it was inevitable? Truth, I would have continued to try to bring him back. As one of my few precious people more so than my promise to Sakura.'_ He hung his head, _'And now I have even fewer of them. Have the numbers of my friends dwindle down to one?_' Another glance was shot at the sleeping figure, _'And does he even count? He chose to follow out of loneliness, a lack of a life goal… Not for my company personally. But everyone hates to be alone in the dark. A cruel world full of only strangers and suffering, a Hell of Hells. Any familiar face, anyone who doesn't automatically hate me on sight, anyone who doesn't shun me, I seek them out. I follow them, addicted to their company. The sound of their voices, their smiles, just being with them… I struggle to stay with them to have them light my path through the cold dim… Maybe Sasuke the avenger feels the same way… Loneliness preys on us all, even the predators…'_

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Pein watched the two old friends from a distance off. Tobi had "asked" him to perform a special task… He would attack the duo when the Kuubi vessel and the curse seal holder were closer to Konoha. Then he would provoke the Nine tailed Beast's release. Executing revenge on the Leaf.

What could be more fulfilling than siccing the Nine Tails on the people it's shell loved so dearly? Even though they, as time passed became more fearful and loathing of him? The irony struck the Akatsuki, who chuckled cruelly_, 'His love grows as their hate flourishes, and his unending forgiveness will eventually be his demise! In a fight of hate and love he will not fight those he cares for, and they shall continue to orchestrate his death without pause for the ties they once held. All people have demons, some simply try harder to control them than others. How deviously delicious.'_

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At dawn Naruto and Sasuke had continued their journey to Konoha, (after a punch from Sasuke for the skipped shift) unaware of being followed. The trip was peaceful. Not much friendly chatter was shared as neither nin wanted to participate in the unnecessary blather. But also for the fact that neither knew the right words to speak to end their schism, and neither would dare break the silence for fear of losing the other. Instead they didn't talk about the past, themselves, what they had been up to, or of their recent adventures. They simply enjoyed the other's company in a companionable quiet. Unbeknownst to both, the old wounds were slowly healing; just by the closeness of the other. Over that short amount of time the serenity and tranquility felt by both would not be shared again for quite some time to come. Naruto especially, on sight of his old friend and rival; had immediately forgiven the other his past, and was content to merely partake of the other's close proximity. And as far as Sasuke was concerned Naruto had done nothing needing of his forgiveness. And such time passed until, at last the silence was breached by a timid "Almost there… teme." from Naruto. And upon the words not acting as a catalyst for the explosive end of the peace, continued, "I can almost taste the Ichiraku ramen!"

The Uchiha nodded slightly not unhappily at the blonde's attempt at turning things back to the ways they had been so long ago, but time cannot be turned by anyone. What is done is done; and therefore must be dealt with as best it can. But the childish antic helped soothe his growing worries, the blonde had been unnaturally quiet near depressive. A fact which, admittedly, bothered him.

A rustle of leave sand a single foot step was all that Sasuke heard before he saw the Akatsuki's ambush. The man was moving to quickly and both Sasuke and Naruto had been caught completely off guard. Sasuke rushed towards Naruto who Pein of Akatsuki was using the element of surprise on, and Naruto was trying to dodge. But both were unable to move fast enough as the attacker's momentum carried him smash into Naruto. The flahs of an unidentified justu blinded Sasuke's activated sharingan. All in a second's space of time. The man poofed off of Naruto before either Sasuke or Naruto could retaliate.

"-ruto!" Sasuke finished his yell not even remembering starting it in the speed of the moment, and fell to the ground beside his fallen friend. He reached out to touch him when Naruto's body burst into flames.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled again. '_Oh no oh no oh no… the Fox…_'

Naruto's body was covered in the red chakra. He began to sprout tails, and the fiery chakra began to pull the boy's blood straight through his skin turning the bubbling Fox's Chakra black. An echoing animal howl boomed from the black fox form, an anguished cry of pain and suffering. He gnashed his teeth and raked his sharp claws along his own skull, drawing out even more blood from the gouges.

"Fight it Naruto! Don't let the Kyuubi take you! You're in control of your own body! You, Naruto, only you!" Sasuke yelled desperately.

The massive power of the chakra rolled over him. It felt like an immense weight, crushing down on the surrounding area. Sasuke was knocked back as boulders crumbled and trees toppled under the shock waves of power.

What had been Naruto again started digging its own claws into its head howling its anger. It was obvious Naruto was losing the fight as a fifth tail sprouted.

With a final wail, the beast flung itself to the ground In an inhuman gravelly growl Sasuke heard the distorted voice of his friend, "Rhunn, Shashkay, Rhunn!"

'_Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit! I've got to stop him. He saved me, but can I save him?'_

Kyuubi charged, but instead of running Sasuke stood his ground. "Naruto! I know you can stop him! I know you'd never hurt me, or Konoha! I know you Naruto! I know you can stop him!" Sasuke held out his arms and looked at the creature that was once Naruto in th eyes as it charged with a furious howl that sounded as if it came from the fiery depths of Hell itself.

Abruptly it stopped, but its momentum carried it careening and rolling over the ground to rest a meter from Sasuke's feet. The burning chakra slowly dissipated, to reveal the body of Uzumaki Naruto. Completely motionless as a corpse. Covered in black charred skin and matted blood.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted and ran to the body. 'Nonononononono, not him. Not Naruto. No no, oh please Kami, no. Why? Why is it always Naruto who suffers?'

He gingerly picked up the charred and burnt body gazing down with glazed eyes. With a teleportation jutsu and a curse at the heavens he appeared before the gates of Konoha carrying a body burnt beyond recognition.

The anbu guards took a shaky step back at the sight of ht blood soaked dangerous missing nin Uchiha Sasuke holding a carcass of some thing, blackened cinders covered the man. And the burnt flesh smell crept like a shadow into their noses.

"I need to see the Hokage-sama!" Sasuke frantically yelled.

"We don't let missing nins who simply ask see our dear Hokage-sa-"

The anbu never finished as Sasuke used his teleportation jutsu to enter the Hokage tower. Bursting into Tsunade's office he continued shouting in near hysteria, "Tsunade! It's Naruto! He's … he's …" Sasuke looked with sorrowful eyes down at the crisped man in his arms.

"Oh dear gods… is he… is he dead?" Tsunade whispered voice rough with emotion.

"If you don't hurry old hag he will be soon!" Sasuke snapped his voice filled with venom.

Naruto was rushed to the hospital immediately for care where Tsunade, Sakura, and Konoha's top doctors worked frantically. Sasuke paced like a caged black jaguar in the hallway, glaring darkly at any hospital staff who dared approach him.

A masked face with wild silver hair ran down the hallway and skidded to a halt.

"Sa-sasuke?" the visible eye widened with shock.

"Kakashi." growled a still pissed Sasuke dismissively, for he had better more important things to do, like try to pace a hole into the hospital floor and glare heart attacks into scampering nurses.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi still hadn't moved.

Sasuek snapped on him, "Yes, yes, godammit! Its me! Stop gurgling my name while your student is possibly dying!"

Kakashi's eye widened further at Sasuke's rage. _'Why is Sasuke even here? Did Naruto "save" him only to be burned alive by his fire jutsus? Wait, but why would he be worried if he inflicted the burns? Does he actually care about someone, or only regret frying Naruto to ash?'_

"Sasuke, did you and Naruto have a fight, and did you use your fire jutsus on him?"

It was Sasuke's turn to be shocked, "No… of course not…"

"Then what happened Sasuke? What happened to Naruto?" the jounin slid a hand into his kunai pocket without Sasuke's notice.

"Pein did something t the seal… and then Kyuubi… and black-bloody chakra… and fire… it was so hot… he burned… the screams… Kyuubi…" a gurgling sound came from Sasuke's throat as he found he could no longer speak.

The masked man sighed and stepped forward, and Sasuke's world went black.

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A small light was ignited in the blackness that Sasuke had woken up to. Ibiki and Kakashi's faces became slightly illumed in his field of vision.

Sasuke sent the 'Uchiha death glare' at both men, "Where's Naruto? How is he?"

They looked taken aback, both had expected Sasuke to first enquire about his location and the reasons thereof putting the blonde out of mind.

"Later," Ibiki growled, "This is an official interrogation. That's why I'm here…" a sinister smile spread across his grisled face. The scars stretched, pulling his face in the dim shadows into a fiendish toothy snarl…

The "interrogation" had actually been no where near as bad as Sasuke's fears. No torture had been used, hell, it was more an interview than interrogation in Sasuke's mind. Of course he was used to Orochimaru's methods of dipping the victim's hands into acid to incite speech.

Kakashi sighed, now that Sasuke was more or less cleared, he began. "Tsunade-sama put into orders an old document Naruto wrote to her about you. You are not to be punished or blamed for your treason." Treason was spit out like a poisonous word. "However for the next eight months you are to be guarded by as many anbu as the Hokage sees fit."

"Naruto? Naruto didn't want me punished for what I did? After all that I did to him? How.. How.. Why? Why did he do that?" Sasuke asked, eyes full of shock.

"I don't know why he'd care to save you ass, kid. But you're damn lucky he did." Ibiki snarled, "As head interrogator and overseer of torture to gain information, I don't play nice with missing nins."

Sasuke's gaze shifted more to Kakashi who shook his head, "Didn't you two have a really bad fight at the Valley of the End?"

Sasuke cringed at the memory of nearly killing his best friend and lowered his head. "I don't deserve his friendship."

Kakashi snorted, "I think the same thing sometimes," he paused to give a cold look at his former student, "but that's not for us to decide. Naruto has his own ways and picks his own friends. And then he protects them to the very end."

The heavy silence made the shadowed room seem darker.

"Wait, if Naruto got Tsunade to not punish me, why am I still here?" Sasuke asked as he looked up from the chair bolted to the floor that he was constrained to with chakra enhanced chains in the dim dingy room.

"Naruto also asked for your seal to be removed, and he himself came up with the technique for doing so." Kakashi answered coolly.

"My curse seal is permanent." scoffed the Uchiha, not allowing crazy hopes to invade his dismal reality.

"It would have been, but the number one unpredictable ninja figured it out." Ibiki said, " Me and Kakashi will perform the jutsu. It takes a helluva lotta chakra."

"Wait! If Naruto can do so much with seals, can't he save himself from the Nine Tailed Fox?" Hope finally flooded obsidian eyes as he looked up at his captors.

A dark silence again filled the room. Ibiki looked away from Sasuke's gaze first.

"Sasuke," Kakashi said gently, "For Naruto there is no cure. His seal is disintegrating rapidly and no one knows what to do about it, or him. That is if he survives."

Sasuke's head fell forward, his body held fast to the chair or else he would have been on the floor the echoes of "no cure" ran through his head.

He didn't even see Kaakashi and Ibiki pull out the scroll, bite their thumbs, and make the hand signs.

He did however feel the searing pain as their chakra burned away the evil mark of the curse seal.


End file.
